Aria's POV
We started training with grappling and ground work.
Ivan moved in fast, grabbing my waist from behind. I twisted, trying to use his momentum against him, but he anticipated it—dropped his weight and took me down in one smooth motion. We hit the grass together, rolling once before he pinned me beneath him, knees bracketing my hips, hands capturing my wrists above my head.
I bucked, arching up to throw him off. He held firm, but his grin was wide, playful.
"You're getting slippery," he teased, breath warm against my cheek.
I laughed, breathless. "You're just slow."
He leaned closer, nose brushing mine. "Am I?"
His hips settled heavier against mine, the hard length of him pressing through his trousers. My thighs clenched instinctively around him.
At that moment, playfulness gave way to hunger, then he kissed me.
Hard. Deep. Claiming.
I kissed him back without hesitation, legs wrapping around his waist, pulling him closer. His tongue swept into my mouth, tasting want. One hand released my wrist to slide down my side, gripping my hip, grinding against me in a slow, deliberate roll that made me moan into his mouth.
We broke apart, panting.
"Ivan," I gasped, glancing toward the manor in the distance. "Someone might see us."
He stilled, eyes flicking toward the open grounds, then back to me.
"Not here," he rasped.
He stood in one fluid motion, pulling me up with him. His hand closed around mine and he led me quickly toward the connecting woods at the edge of the clearing. The trees swallowed us almost immediately, thick branches blocking the view of the manor, soft moss underfoot muffling our steps.
We didn't go far.
Just deep enough.
Ivan backed me against a wide oak, mouth crashing down on mine again. Hands were everywhere—tugging at my tunic, shoving it up, palming my breasts through the thin fabric. I yanked at his shirt, needing skin, needing him closer.
Clothes came off in a frantic rush—tunic, leggings, his trousers shoved down just enough.
He lifted me, my back against rough bark, legs wrapping around his waist. One hand braced against the tree, the other guiding himself to my entrance.
He thrust in hard—deep—filling me completely in one stroke.
I cried out, nails digging into his shoulders.
"Fuck, Aria," he groaned, hips snapping forward again.
He fucked me against the tree—hard and fast—each thrust driving deeper, hitting that spot that made stars explode behind my eyes. My head fell back against the bark, moans spilling freely now, no one to hear but him.
"You feel so good," he growled against my neck, teeth grazing my pulse. "Been thinking about this every fucking day. About burying myself in you, making you come around my cock."
"Yes—gods, yes," I gasped, clenching around him. "Harder, Ivan. Don't stop."
He didn't.
One hand slipped between us, fingers finding my clit, rubbing tight circles in time with his thrusts. Pleasure coiled fast—too fast—until I shattered, crying out his name as my orgasm ripped through me, walls pulsing, milking him.
He followed seconds later—burying himself deep with a guttural groan, spilling inside me in hot, pulsing waves.
We stayed like that for a long moment—panting, tangled, hearts hammering against each other.
He pressed his forehead to mine, breath ragged.
The tree bark was rough against my back, but I barely felt it. All I felt was him—deep inside me, still hard, still pulsing with aftershocks.
Ivan's voice came low, almost a whisper.
"What are we going to do about Raine?"
The question hung heavy between us.
I'd thought about it long and hard after yesterday—after we'd had sex, and the truth had settled in quietly.
Raine was going to find out eventually.
But I didn't care.
Not anymore.
Raine wasn't who I wanted. He never had been. He was only my husband in name, nothing else.
With Ivan, I felt wanted—not used. Seen—not tolerated. Alive—not just surviving.
I wanted only him.
I wanted mornings waking up to his teasing grin, nights tangled in his arms, lazy afternoons where we could just be—without curses, without titles, without the constant reminder of what we couldn't have.
And I was done letting Raine's curse—or his coldness—steal that from me.
"Aria?" Ivan's voice pulled me back. He was still buried inside me, eyes searching mine. "Did you hear my question?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I did."
I took a slow breath, feeling him throb inside me.
"To tell you the truth… I don't care about Raine."
"But I do," Ivan said. "It's not his fault he can't love you—"
"I know," I cut in gently. "I wish things were different—for his sake. But I can't let that stop my happiness. I've spent too long being invisible, being rejected, being told what I can't have. I'm done with that."
I lifted a hand to his cheek, thumb brushing over the faint stubble.
"As for Raine… I don't think we should let him know. Not yet. Let's just live in the present. Worry about the future later. Right now, this—us—is all I want."
Ivan studied me for a long moment, eyes soft with wonder.
Then he kissed me again.
Slow and deep.
His lips moved over mine like he was memorizing the shape of them, tongue sliding in lazy strokes, tasting me like I was something sacred.
I melted into it, arms winding around his neck, legs tightening around his waist.
He started moving again—slow rolls of his hips at first, then deeper, harder thrusts that made me gasp against his mouth.
We slid down the tree together until my back hit the soft moss of the ground. Ivan covered me completely, weight braced on his forearms, hips driving into mine with steady rhythm.
"Gods, Aria," he groaned against my throat. "You feel so fucking good. So perfect."
I arched beneath him, nails raking down his back, legs locking tighter. "Don't stop. Please—harder."
He gave me what I wanted—thrusting deep, grinding against my clit with every stroke, building the pleasure higher and higher until I shattered again, crying out his name as my orgasm crashed through me.
He followed moments later, burying himself to the hilt with a broken groan, spilling inside me in hot, pulsing waves.
We collapsed together on the moss, tangled and breathless.
For a long while, we just lay there.
No words.
No regrets.
Just this.
Just us.